Description

POPLOC is a constructed variable that indicates whether the person's father lived in the same household and, if so, gives the person number of the father (PERNUM). The method by which probable child-father links are identified is described in POPRULE.

POPLOC makes it easy for researchers to link the characteristics of children and their (probable) fathers.

User Caution: POPLOC identifies social relationships (such as stepfather and adoptive father) as well as biological relationships. POPLOC will also identify the unmarried partner of a child's mother identified with MOMLOC

If the person identified with POPLOC has a spouse or partner identified through SPLOC, the spouse or partner will also be identified as a parent through MOMLOC (if a different-sex couple) or POPLOC2 (if a same-sex couple). POP2RULE and MOMRULE will communicate the method through which those relationships are identified.

Comparability

The development of new family interrelationship variables was prompted by the desire to have more comparability between different IPUMS projects and over time. The family interrelationship variables use common logic across ATUS-X, IPUMS CPS, IHIS, and USA (modern years). Each project has different allowed links because of different level of detail in each project, but the logic of assigning parents in ambiguous situations is the same.